Demetrios Peris

Demetrios Peris (died 446 BC) was a Spartan priest during the 5th century BC. In 446 BC, the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi prophesied that Nikolaos of Sparta's newborn son Alexios would bring about the fall of Sparta in the future, so Peris decided to sacrifice the baby to the gods at Mount Taygetos. However, as the baby's mother Myrrine wailed and begged Peris not to do it, Myrrine's daughter Kassandra rushed up to Peris and, while attempting to stop the sacrifice, accidentally pushed Peris and Alexios to their apparent death. Kassandra's murder of the priest and the apparent murder of her brother led to her being declared a traitor to Sparta, and her father Nikolaos was forced to push her from the cliff, believing her to be dead.